Kimberley Toad Buster's
News Letters
Kimberley Toad Buster's News Letters |
|
The aim of this website is to document the Kimberley Toad Busters fight to stop the cane toad crossing into Western Australia and to provide the Western Australian Community some understanding of the enormous efforts (and contributions) that can be made by unpaid volunteers!
 |
 |
 |
 |
|---|
Prepared by Lee Scott-Virtue, President & Founder of KTB Kimberley Toad Busters.
KIMBERLEY TOAD BUSTERS NEWSLETTER No. 36 September 2nd 2010 The Cane Toad is a Key Threatening Process to the Australian Nation Declared by the Federal Government 12 April 2005
KTB Newsletter 36 This 35th Kimberley Toad Busters’ Newsletter is produced by Kimberley Specialists In Research Inc in conjunction with IF EVERYONE WAS A TOADBUSTER kimberleytoadsbusters@canetoads.com.au 1: DEC CO2 trials and results: Bureaucracy at its worst! DEC with the assistance of Kimberley Toad Busters has finally (after many aborted starts and to the cost of the KTB and the tax-payer) completed their trials on the use of CO2 on how to ‘humanely) euthanase cane toads in the Kimberley. Please go to our KTB website (www.canetoads.com.au for the history of this LONG battle with DEC’s scientist Dr Peter Mawson on whether CO2 was a humane method of killing cane toads). Without the interim intervention of our State Minister for Environment Donna Faraghur and if this particular scientist had had his way (on the basis of a one off laboratory experiment) our children would have been using a ‘blunt’ instrument or ‘pithing’ our toads when caught. The field trials run by KTB were replicated by DECs Dr Mawson (he was not prepared to accept KTBs five years experience in the field or the fact that our own field trials had been run by Sister Del Colin’s and other nursing and hospital doctors or that our trials had been accepted by ANSCAAT and the NEC (see KTB website), only his own initial trials based on 2 toads). Now that Dr Peter Mawson, DEC scientist has established that CO2 is an acceptable method of euthanasia. Dr Mawson will almost certainly publish his findings in a Scientific Journal of repute and go down in history as the PERSON (scientist) who determined that CO2 was the best method for the disposal of toads (and of course no reference to KTBs own scientific trials). This is yet another example of government organisations that do not listen to ordinary people, work hard at de-energising community efforts and continue to make things as difficult as they can for ordinary people trying to do their best for the environment. KTB now wait with bated breath for the debate on the use of Dettol to spray cane toad metamorphs. Once again DEC have not asked for results of KTB trials or the results of some 65 years of people/governments including DEC while toads were only in the NT, before stating that Dettol is banned. KTB fully understand the results on our native biodiversity if cane toad breeding is not dealt with. Whatever the concerns of Dr Peter Mawson (DEC) on the use of Dettol as a method of controlling cane toads these cannot possibly stand up against the KNOWN impact of un-controlled toad breeding. To put the use of Dettol on hold while scientists such as Dr Peter Mawson spend the next decade (or so) on finding out what impact Dettol has on the environment) is ridiculous. Other than another chance at a ‘paper’ for some scientific journal this approach can only sign off on further extinctions of known native species to cane toads, and god knows how many we have yet not recognised. 2: Cane Toads; permits; de-energising community and bureaucratic madness! Cane toads arrived in WA in February 2009. Kimberley Toad Busters have been diligently removing toads from WA since this date and more recently (in the past 10 months) from within Kununurra itself. Toads are now recorded and established by Kimberley Toad Busters as now in Kununurra with explorer toads now being found west of the Ord River. Extrapolated on the evidence so far KTB expect toads to reach areas such as El Questro by the end of this wet season (see map). Despite the fact that toads are not around 45 km west of the border in WA DEC have continued to establish the front line as being established at the WA/NT border. KTB have recently been informed they now have to acquire a permit that allows them to ‘move’ or pickup toads in WA, something they have now been undertaking within WA for the past almost two years! This permit process (dozens of pages of paperwork every time someone handles a single toad) will absolutely de-energise all community effort and if the law was taken literally would mean most Kununurra residents would be jailed for picking up and moving toads (either to the KTB Depot, or to the three disposal points established by DEC). A ridiculous situation and only possible when it is engineered from DAFWA in Perth. KTB have resolved to fight this permit issue and to try and establish some commonsense into the cane toad fight. 3: KTB “What’s in your Backyard?” and Iconic Species monitoring program.
Establishing Monitoring in the West Kimberley Throughout the 2010 school year staff and students at Derby District High School have been assisting Danielle Taylor and Barbara Sing with the trailing of suitable sites for an ongoing Iconic Species Monitoring Program. Whilst it is acknowledged that there is some time before cane toads reach as far south as Derby it is hoped, that by conducting regular monitoring of species known to be under threat from cane toads in the East Kimberley, a useful longitudinal database can be established and maintained by KTB for the West Kimberley region. In preparation for the launch of the Derby Bush Rangers Cadet Unit being offered to DDHS students as an option from Term 1, 2011 five potential monitoring sites were flagged and trailed in Term 2 and 3 of 2010. (Term 4 monitoring pending) Site 4 – DDHS Campus The iconic species monitored in the trials have been drawn from the ‘What’s In Your Backyard?’ program and formatted into DDHS Iconic Species Monitoring data collection sheets to be taken into the field along with the species ID cards. THANK YOU
Students undertaking recording biodiversity! 4: KTB and Kununurra residents ‘mobilised’ to keep toad numbers under control!The key to the highly successful Kimberley Toad Busters field strategy in Kununurra and the Kimberley in general has been the commitment by residents in general, landowners, Aboriginal Communities and individuals to take ‘ownership’ of ‘their bit of country’. This has been the key to the huge volunteer success in keeping cane toad numbers reduced. Native biodiversity loss recorded by KTB in the general Kununurra area has been significantly reduced with significant accounts of reptiles such as the Gould’s, Merton’s, Bobtail and various snake species continuing to survive despite the presence of toads. KTB can confirm that reduced numbers of toads diminish the contest for food and reduce the amount of invertebrate species that toads normally consume confirming the KTB adage “If everyone became a toad buster. The toads would be busted!” Del Collins, long time honoured and revered KTB volunteer is currently putting together a map of all our Kununurra residents and KTB volunteers who have “adopted’ their street, backyard 5: How far west have toads moved in WA? Cane Toads first crossed into WA on the Kimberley border in February 2009. Ironically enough this first invasion of toads into the Kimberley was a single male toad crossed the border near the Department of Agriculture Quarantine Station and was identified by one of the Quarantine Officers. Since this date Kimberley Toad Busters reconnaissance field work has identified that toads have only managed to move a further 47 kilometres in the Kununurra-Lake Argyle area. It has only been through the consistent year round efforts of KTB volunteers that so few toads have got through and have been slowed down so significantly. Efforts by KTB volunteers have meant that toads have been slowed down to around 20 km per year in this central corridor rather than the 60 to 80 km per year that they had been moving for the past five years. And this despite the most un-seasonal ‘wet’ dry season experienced by the Kimberley since KTB began the fight in September 2005. 6: Overview of KTB Achievements for 2010 Kimberley Toad Busters, as a community driven volunteer group has continued to grow and achieve the goals set for each year. The outcomes for 2009/2010 are as follows.
7: Wyndham finds its first cane toad. Hitch-hiker or Explorer Toad? KTB received a call from Dr Bob Edge of Wyndham on Saturday 24 September reporting that he had picked up a large gravid female toad ‘hydrating’ under his dripping tap. While the report was unexpected (it was predicted by KTB that toads would not hit the town of Wyndham until towards the end of this coming wet season) it was confirmed that a large number of trucks bringing material in from Katherine might very well have been the mode of transport this particular toad used to get to Wyndham. KTB will now mobilise volunteers to undertake reconnaissance in the Wyndham area and will increase the educational component of their management strategy to ensure that town is ready when toads do arrive in full force. This recent toad discovery adds to the warning KTB issued earlier this year that now toads have made it across the border hitch-hiking toads to other parts of WA from Kununurra through the transport of farm produce has now increased. KTB are happy to report that the towns of Halls Creek, Fitzroy and Derby are on full alert and have a number of trained KTB volunteers to ‘step in’ and take up the fight when the toads arrive. KTB continue to run the “What’s in your Backyard?” biodiversity recording and monitoring programs with schools and interested community groups throughout the Kimberley. 8: KTB and Kununurra residents ‘mobilised’ to keep toad numbers under control! The key to the highly successful Kimberley Toad Busters field strategy in Kununurra and the Kimberley in general has been the commitment by residents in general, landowners, Aboriginal Communities and individuals to take ‘ownership’ of ‘their bit of country’. This has been the key to the huge volunteer success in keeping cane toad numbers reduced. Native biodiversity loss recorded by KTB in the general Kununurra area has been significantly reduced with significant accounts of reptiles such as the Gould’s, Merton’s, Bobtail and various snake species continuing to survive despite the presence of toads. KTB can confirm that reduced numbers of toads diminish the contest for food and reduce the amount of invertebrate species that toads normally consume confirming the KTB adage “If everyone became a toad buster. The toads would be busted!” Del Collins, long time honoured and revered KTB volunteer Del Collins is currently putting together a map of all our Kununurra residents and KTB volunteers who have “adopted’ their street, backyard 9: KTB Royal Perth Show Cane Toad Educational. Ben Scott-Virtue (KTB Field Coordinator) and John Cugley (Administration Coordinator) headed to Perth to run Kimberley Toad Busters 3rd annual Royal Show Cane Toad Educational. This year they joined FOTE in the Environment Pavilion.
For more information on any of the articles contact:
|
|
